Disher



April 25, 1939.

F.l F. DONAHUE I 2,155,700

- DISHER Filed Feb. 3, 1938 Patented Apr. 25, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DISHER Application February 3, 1938, Serial No. 188,533

2 Claims.

This invention relates to dishers adapted for use in serving ice cream and other products.

One of the objects of the invention is to simplify the assembling of the several parts constituting the disher. Another object is to simplify and improve the construction of the means for connecting the thumb rack to the shank and for maintaining the rack under spring control. The advantages will appear from the following description.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a plan View of a disher embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of same.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section, enlarged, taken in the plane of the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the scraper and scraper shaft detached from the disher.

As shown in the drawing, the disher comprises a hemispherical bowl I0, a metal shank II having an enlarged portion I2 soldered to the outer face of the bowl I0, and a handle I3 fixed to the free end of the shank.

A semi-circular resilient scraper I4 within the bowl Ill is provided with a trunnion I5 which ts within a bearing in the bowl I0. The scraper is integral with a scraper shaft I6, having a spline I1, on which is mounted a gear wheel I8. The rear wheel is thus made to rotate with the shaft I6, but is capable of relative movement lo-ngitudinally of the splined shaft. The shaft I6 is rotatably mounted in the enlarged portion I2 of the shank and in a bearing formed by an upward extension I 9 on the shank II.

An arcuate rack is aperture or indented adjacent its curved edge, and is formed integrally with a lever 2I which is at a right angle to the surface of the rack. The rack is flat throughout the major portion of its area, as will be seen in Figs. 2 and 3, with its lower surface 22 resting on and movable over a hat bearing surface 23 formed on the shank II adjacent the extension I9. The metal of which the rack 20 is made is pressed or otherwise formed to provide an apertured bearing 24 and a spring retaining shoulder 25, lying in a plane slightly above the rest of the rack surface.

A well or socket 26, formed in the shank I I, has a bearing stud 21 rising fro-m its central portion. The stud 21 is internally screw threaded. The apertured portion 24 of the rack 20 bears on the flat edge surfaces of the well 26 and stud 21 and is pivotally mounted on the well portion of the shank by a screw 28 which fits in the bearing stud 21 and has a head 29 countersunk in the bearingH portion 24 of the rack. A spring 3l) is coiled around the stud 21 in the Well and has one end 3l engaged in the base of the well and its other end 32 bearing against the lever 2 I, beneath the part of the rack, serving to retract the rack and normally hold it in the position shown in Fig. 1.

The gear wheel I8 has teeth equal in number to the apertures or indentations in the arcuate rack 20, said teeth occupying part of the periphery, and the shoulders 33, adjacent the end teeth, serve as stops for bearing on the rack and limiting its pivotal movement in opposite directions.

Heretofore the assembling ofthe scraper, scraper shaft and gear wheel and mounting of the shaft in its bearings on the shank have presented some difficulties which necessitated making the scraper and shaft non-integral or extending one of the rack apertures to the edge of the rack so that the gear wheel could be engaged with the rack. By employing a splined shaft in the combination disclosed, I am able to make the scraper and shaft integral and easily assemble them with the rest of the device, including a rack having apertures or indentations of uniform size. The shaft I6 is inserted through the bearing I2, from the cup side, the gear wheel I8 is held in engagement with the rack, the splined end I1 passed through the wheel and into the bearing extension I9, and the scraper I4 is sprung into position in the bowl, with the trunnion I5 engaging the apertured wall as shown.

Another advantage lies in the means for attaching the rack to the shank. By providing a screw threaded stud 21 for engaging the screw 28 having its flat head 29 bearing on .the rack portion 24 and closing the only opening to the socket or well 26, I efficiently p-rotect 4the socket from moisture, firmly hold the rack down on the shank, and avoid the use of a washer and split key or other protruding fastening devices heretofore used for fastening the rack to the shank, and also avoid the use of non-positive fastening means which under pressure permitted the rack to become loosened and to bear against thescraper shaft.

The lever 2I on rack 2l) is intended to be thumb operated by a person holding the handle I3, for actuating the scraper I4 in the bowl III.

Changes may be made in form and details of construction without departing from the scope of my invention. Wherever the rack apertures for engagement with the gear teeth are referred to, I

intend also to include indentations which serve the same purpose.

I claim:

1. A disher comprising a bowl, a shank and a handle rigidly connected together, an upward eX- tension on the shank adjacent the handle, a socket having a single opening formed in the shank, a raised bearing surface on the shank between the socket and the upward extension, an arcuate, substantially at rack having an apertured end adapted to seat on said socket wall and having an apertured edge portion bearing on said flat bearing surface, a screw extending through the apertured rack into the socket, connecting the rack to the shank and closing the socket and the opening in the rack, a scraper shaft connected to the scraper and rotatably mounted in said extension on the shank, said rack and screw connection being located between the scraper shaft and the Q0 shank, and a gear on the shaft engaging the rack.

2. A disher comprising a bowl, a shank and a handle rigidly connected together, an upward extension on the shank adjacent the handle, a socket having a single opening formed in the shank, a raised bearing surface on the shank between the socket and the upward extension, an arcuate, substantially iiat rack having an apertured end adapted to seat on said socket wall and having an apertured edge portion bearing on said flat bearing surface, a screw extending through the apertured rack into the socket, connecting the rack to the shank and closing the socket and the opening in the rack, a spring in the socket having one end engaging the under side of the rack between the rack and the shank, a scraper shaft connected to the scraper and rotatably mounted in said extension on the shank, said rack and screw connection being located between the scraper shaft and the shank, and a gear on the shaft engaging the rack.

PATRICK F. DONAHUE. 

